Part of Rochester art exhibit, Spider Folk now for sale

ROCHESTER — Those visiting the Portable Pantry over the past few months may have noticed the giant, whimsical statue of the ukulele-playing spider that greeted customers entering the local cafe.

The eight-foot-tall statue, built by local artist Nathan Walker, was one of 12 works of art displayed across the downtown as part of the Art Esprit’s Mythology of Rochester art exhibit, which lasted from June until this past Saturday.

With the exhibit having come to an end, the statue, named “Spider Folk,” is now for sale.

For Walker, creating Spider Folk was not his first piece of art involving giant insects, or, in the spider’s case, arthropods.

In 2008, a giant ant built by Walker was displayed in Portsmouth, at the corner of Market and Congress streets. A giant blue crab, also built by Walker, is currently displayed in front of the Children’s Museum, where Walker is an artist-in-residence.

When Art Esprit was looking for artists to participate in its outdoor exhibit project, Walker saw the project as an opportunity to do what he loves — “taking little bugs and making them huge,” he said.

At that time, Walker had never built a spider before. Addressing most people’s fear of spiders, Walker decided to give his giant arthropod a small ukulele — to make the work of art look more whimsical and playful.

As all works of art displayed as part of the Mythology of Rochester project, Spider Folk was accompanied by a literary work that tells the background of the mythological creature. In Walker’s case, he partnered with Rebecca Yankes, who wrote a poem dispelling the myth that spiders are scary:

“With eight legs and eight eyeballs, / Some folks think I’m a freak. / When I show up in houses, / I make them want to shriek!/ But they don’t know my true self. / I’m so misunderstood! / If only I could speak to them, / They’d know I’m really good!” reads an excerpt from Yankes’ poem, which goes on to say that spiders are notorious for catching unwanted bugs such as mosquitoes, and that spiders are revered in many cultures around the world.

Walker joked that while “I don’t know if I’m going to revolutionize the spider cause,” he has talked to people who are apprehensive about spiders who have viewed his piece of work with a lighter heart.

Spider Folk took about two months to build, but most of Walker’s time was spent scavenging for parts for his art work, either by visiting scrap yards, or going to his family members for remnants of old items. The statue, said Walker, was primarily made of heavy gauge rebar, a couple propane tanks, gears, and rail road spikes. He also used an old sewer grate from the Public Works Department to make the platform on which the spider stands.

Once built, the ukulele-playing spider was painted in copper-bronze paint, to make it feel “sort of like a monument,” said Walker.

For Walker, 36, who now lives in Dover, art has been a lifetime passion. In school, he always preferred writing comic books rather than essays, and turning in detailed drawings rather than scientific reports. In high school, he became interested in biology and environmental science, which helped lead him to make small things like bugs and spiders to come alive in a giant form as statues.

“I think art and science have always been paired together very well,” said Walker.

Spider Folk, which now sits in the basement of the Children’s Museum in Dover, is now for sale, though Walker is not asking for any particular price and will negotiate. He said he would be open to also having the statue remain on display at another location, such as a museum.

Those interested in the statue are encouraged to contact Walker through his blog, www.nathanwalker.net, or by calling him at 603-686-0096.